Translators’ note: The Japanese title for this book, Kūshin techō, echoes that of Boshi techō, or the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, a booklet issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to all expectant mothers to enable them to chronicle their pregnancy, the health and development of the baby, and the details of their child’s medical visits (vaccinations, dental checkups, etc.) up until age seven. In the novel’s title, kūshin replaces “mother and child” with an “empty core” or, in our translation, a “void.”
